Government of Canada Grants $516,750 to Quebec Film and Television Council to Promote the Province to Foreign Producers

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Feb. 25, 2010) - The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today announced that the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC) will receive $516,750 in non-repayable funding to promote the province as a prime international host destination for foreign film and television productions. Necessitating on overall investment of $3,457,400, these activities will aim to secure the shooting of 26 foreign film productions in Quebec, together generating $364 million in spinoffs and creating 5,642 jobs in the province.

The Minister of State applauded the outstanding promotional and coordination work done by the Council, an organization he sees as essential to supporting the growth of the Quebec film and television industry. "Foreign productions are an important source of revenue for our businesses. Every $10 million spent on these productions in Quebec generates $4.3 million in employment income and an estimated $5.7 million in goods and services revenues. Raising awareness about the many advantages of shooting in Quebec, as the QFTC does, is essential if we are to position the province as a first-rate centre for foreign film and television production," he explained.

Over the coming months, the QFTC plans to highlight the support services available to foreign producers, including location cataloguing and scouting, as well as the tax credits and other benefits associated with filming in Quebec. Through its promotional activities, the Council will emphasize the province's highly-skilled film industry workforce, its state-of-the-art facilities and the diversity of its shooting locations. Among other things, the QFTC intends to step up its prospecting activities in the U.S. city of Los Angeles.